Common Name: White’s Tree Frog Scientific Name: Litoria caerulea
LEAST CONCERN White’s Tree Frog Distribution: Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia Habitat: Tropical and Temperate Forest Height: Approx. 10cm Weight: 40gm Diet: Insectivorous
The frogs found in Australia can change colour from dark brown to a range of green colours, whilst those in Indonesia are green in colour. They are also called the dumpy frog as they have folds of skin which give the appearance of a fat frog. The limbs are long and the toes are round and used to help with climbing. The eyes are large and green and the pupil is horizontal. The female is larger than the male. Although frogs have lungs, they absorb oxygen through their skin, but for this to occur efficiently, their skin must be moist. Wet skin is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, so frogs secrete peptides that kill these pathogens. White’s Tree Frog skin secretions contain caerins, a kind of peptide with antibacterial and antiviral properties. Several peptides from the skin secretions of the White’s Tree Frog have been found to destroy HIV without harming healthy T-cells. The breeding season runs from November to February. During this time, the males enlarge a pad on their thumb to help with gripping onto the female during mating (amplexus). The female lays the eggs in stagnant water and the male fertilises them externally. The eggs sink to the bottom and hatch into tadpoles within several days. They stay in the water until metamorphosis is complete when they leave and live within the canopy of the tree. During the dry season they cover themselves with mucus and burrow under ground.